Once again, the US Supreme Court proves itself
to be the safety position for white supremacy.
The US Supreme Court has just upheld the right of the State of Hawaii to sell off lands owned by the Kingdom of Hawaii, over the objections of Native Hawaiian groups who claim that the State does not have legal authority to sell these lands.
A reasoably good article here from the slightly less-objectionable of the Hawaii daily newspapers which lays out the legal arguments.
Basically the Hawaii Supreme Court argued that the 1993 US Apology to Hawaiians gives grounds to dispute the legality of the transfer of land from the Hawaiian Kingdom to the Territory of Hawaii and finally to the State of Hawaii as the Apology acknowledges that the US acted illegally in facilitating the overthrow of Queen Lili`uokalani, and also in acquiring Hawaii by an illegal joint resolution of Congress.
The Supremes sided with the pro-US State of Hawaii in ruling that there was no legal bar to the State selling "former" Kingdom land as the State was, in their opinion, the legal successor of the Kingdom.
One small opening is that the Supremes also referred the matter back to the Hawaii Supreme Court as a matter of state law which may well allow HSC to issue a further ruling in favor of Native Hawaiians.
The US Supreme Court has just upheld the right of the State of Hawaii to sell off lands owned by the Kingdom of Hawaii, over the objections of Native Hawaiian groups who claim that the State does not have legal authority to sell these lands.
A reasoably good article here from the slightly less-objectionable of the Hawaii daily newspapers which lays out the legal arguments.
Basically the Hawaii Supreme Court argued that the 1993 US Apology to Hawaiians gives grounds to dispute the legality of the transfer of land from the Hawaiian Kingdom to the Territory of Hawaii and finally to the State of Hawaii as the Apology acknowledges that the US acted illegally in facilitating the overthrow of Queen Lili`uokalani, and also in acquiring Hawaii by an illegal joint resolution of Congress.
The Supremes sided with the pro-US State of Hawaii in ruling that there was no legal bar to the State selling "former" Kingdom land as the State was, in their opinion, the legal successor of the Kingdom.
One small opening is that the Supremes also referred the matter back to the Hawaii Supreme Court as a matter of state law which may well allow HSC to issue a further ruling in favor of Native Hawaiians.